I have tried to like Wharfedale Diamonds in a few models, but couldn't. I personally wouldn't buy anything I couldn't hear, unless I knew I could get a full refund or could sell and get my money out. I will say that the best smaller speakers I have enjoyed were Quad 12L's, not the powered version. Nice looking speaker that I felt had a nice range and some punch to it. I compared with a B&W 685 S2 and thought the upper range had too edgy of sound from the metal dome tweeter, and they frankly weren't exciting for me. There was something about the Quad's I liked better. Maybe a little more musical with jazz, acoustic, and the reason I bought the Quad's was I wanted something that would sound good playing Muse. In the end, they left as well, because my Vandersteen 2C's were more convincing. Just be careful to not assume that most modern speakers are better than the best of yesteryear. I agree there are many vintage speakers that aren't that great. But ones that were cutting edge and actually sounded great, are worth considering. There is also better resale value if you buy right, that won't necessarily be the case with new stuff. I may sound biased, but I don't have thousands to spend on gear so for me, I have found quality vintage is the way to go for now.
